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NHS leaders are warning that staff are skipping meals just to feed and clothe their children.
Reportedly NHS workers are also calling in sick during the days before payday as they can no longer afford fuel or rising public transport costs.
The impact of the cost of living crisis on NHS workers has been laid bare by NHS Providers, the group that represents NHS Trusts and leaders in England.
A quarter (27%) of trusts already operate food banks for staff, and another 19% plan to open one.
The report also highlighted the impact the crisis is having on workers’ mental health, with one trust executive describing it as “the final straw” after the Covid-19 pandemic.
The findings almost exactly align with previous research undertaken by NursingNotes.
Miriam Deakin, the director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, said: “There are heart-rending stories of nurses choosing between eating during the day and being able to buy a school uniform for their children at home.
“Increasing numbers of nurses and other staff, particularly in the lower pay bands, are finding they are unable to afford to work in the NHS.”
NHS bosses have warned that the situation is so dire, that many low-paid workers are quitting their NHS roles to work in pubs and shops instead.
Ms Deakin concludes, “Trust leaders are seeing a slowdown in people willing to join the NHS, as well as looking to join other industries such as hospitality or retail which offer more competitive pay. The sad fact is some can earn more working for online retailers or in supermarkets.”
The Royal College of Nursing has said that ministers should be hanging their heads in shame.
RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Pat Cullen, adds: “When half of the NHS needs to open food banks for its own staff, ministers’ heads should be hanging in shame.
“This long list from the heart of the NHS shows what’s really happening to our nation’s greatest asset and the hard working staff inside it.
“Tens of thousands of nurses are driven out by this treatment and patients pay the price. In less than a week, our members will begin voting for strike action and saying to government that enough really is enough.”
© 2019 NursingNotes.co.uk
© 2019 NursingNotes.co.uk
